For cancer patients in Livingston and across North Jersey, one of the hardest parts of treatment — traveling for care — is about to get easier.
Starting Monday, July 13, patients will have access to National Cancer Institute-designated cancer care in a new $225 million facility at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, meaning more people can receive advanced treatments, clinical trials and specialized care without leaving the region.
The five-story Melchiorre Cancer Center, located at 94 Old Short Hills Road, brings medical, surgical and radiation oncology services under one roof. The 137,000-square-foot facility replaces a system where cancer services were spread across multiple areas of the hospital campus.
“This creates one coordinated experience for patients and families,” Rick Davis, president and CEO of Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, said during the center’s unveiling.
The center is a partnership between RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. That designation gives patients access to research programs and clinical trials typically found at major academic cancer centers.
“Cancer doesn't travel well and there's really no reason for anyone in New Jersey to be leaving the state for their cancer care,” said Dr. Steven Libutti, director of Rutgers Cancer Institute.
Inside the new center, patients will find 52 exam rooms, 40 private infusion rooms, a radiology suite, an on-site pharmacy and spaces designed around the challenges of long-term treatment, including a wellness center with exercise and yoga programs, a teaching kitchen, rooftop terrace, and wig and prosthetic fitting studio.
The Livingston facility is part of RWJBarnabas Health’s $1.5 billion investment in expanding cancer care statewide. It follows the opening of the Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center in New Brunswick in 2025, with a third center planned in Tinton Falls for 2027.
The center is named for donors Andrea and Anthony Melchiorre. Patient appointments begin Monday, July 13.
